Suddenly, just when Griffey to the Queen City seemed inevitable, Griffey to Queens was back on the table. This was Ken Griffey Jr. they were talking about. Despite dealing with injuries throughout his tenure in Cincinnati, The Kid -- who grew up and went to high school in Cincinnati -- still put up solid counting stats. Long story short: They brought him up, he sat, and he didnt play a lot, but he got credited for Major League service time. Now that approval from ownership had been granted, the matter of players who would be going to Seattle remained. On April 15, 2009, Griffey hit his 400th home run as a Mariner (613th of career), off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver, becoming the first MLB player to hit 400 home runs with one club (Mariners) and 200 home runs with another (Reds). If you can't hit a tough righty, bunt. Griffey was starting in right field for the first time in his 16-year Major League career when he raced toward the gap to try to cut off a ball before it got to the wall. Ken Griffey Jr. hasn't played a major league game since 2010, but he's still receiving major league dollars. Powered and implemented byFactSet Digital Solutions. I didn't realize how much I missed being in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. - Baseball-Reference.com Team USA players watch in awe as MLB-great Ken Griffey Jr. takes Theyre like, What?! Team USA looks on as hitting coach Ken Griffey Jr. takes batting practice during the Team USA workout prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal game between Team Puerto Rico and Team Mexico at loanDepot Park on Friday, March 17, 2023, in Miami, Florida. We were talking to the Mariners, and we were so confident that we had a conversation with another free agent, Todd Zeile, who wanted to play first base for us, and we told him that we would ordinarily be interested but we felt really confident that we were gonna get Griffey, Duquette said. Ken Griffey Jr., who retired in 2010, will be paid $3.6 million this year by the Reds, putting him No. "I came up to visit my dad and it's just me and him," Griffey Jr. said. In addition to the Reds and Mets, the others were the Braves and Astros, each of whom had Spring Training facilities close to Griffeys home in Orlando. Ken Griffey. Fox News Flash top sports headlines for March 18. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). Early in September, he strained a tendon in his left foot (an injury unrelated to his past hamstring and calf problems), and was listed as day-to-day for several weeks. 3:57 pm ET, Coors Field hit with hail prior to game vs. Dodgers, MLB midseason grades: Braves dominate, 'F' for Mets, 2023 MLB All-Star Game: Trout, Judge among starters, Cubs vs. Guardians odds, picks, computer sims, Dodgers' Mookie Betts joins 2023 Home Run Derby, Diamondbacks' Carroll suffers right shoulder soreness, Griffey Jr. will be one of Reds' highest-paid players, D-Backs' Carroll suffers right shoulder soreness, Blue Jays' Vlad Guerrero Jr. joins Home Run Derby, Pirates players call out MLB for playing through smoke. Griffey Jr.'s response was a simple, "No." Gillick and the Mariners continued to insist on Reese being included, but Cincinnati had the leverage -- Griffey wanted to be traded there, which pretty much closed all other doors given his no-trade rights. With the Reds out of contention in July of 2008, the club decided to trade Griffey, now 38. Griffey signed a nine-year, $112.5 million contract with the Reds after the trade was completed, with a club option for a tenth. Twins third baseman Brendan Harris flied out softly to Griffey in center field, who threw a strike to White Sox catcher A. J. Pierzynski who tagged out Cuddyer at home in a home plate collision to complete the double play and end the threat. The biggest boon from the deal on Seattles side was Cameron, who was entering his age-27 season while coming off a year in which he hit 21 home runs and stole 38 bases for Cincinnati. The 2000 season began what has generally been seen by the media as a decline in Griffey's superstar status. You dont listen to that because you know what the truth is. The clubs new GM, Pat Gillick, and president and chief operating officer Chuck Armstrong flew to Florida to meet with Griffey and Goldberg. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed " Junior " and " the Kid ", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). [91] It marked the 44th different ballpark in which he had hit a home run. What is more rare, however, is the player whose payments were deferred making the fourth-most money on a team's books and the third-most on the active roster. Im coming to get Griffey and bring him back to his hometown, where he belongs.. Publicly, talks between the Reds and Mariners regarding Griffey broke down over Seattles insistence that middle infielder Pokey Reese be included in the deal (quite possibly as a backup plan in case Rodriguez signed elsewhere in free agency). [96][98][99][100][101] In the ensuing days, teammate Mike Sweeney said he challenged anyone who said Griffey was asleep "to stand up and fight me"[102] with Wakamatsu denying Griffey had been asleep;[100] however, Griffey did not deny it. He had a .284 batting average with 2,781 hits, 630 home runs, 1,836 runs batted in, and 1,662 runs scored. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. [6] Griffey joined Alvin Davis (1997), Dave Niehaus (2000), Jay Buhner (2004), Edgar Martnez (2007), Randy Johnson (2012) and Dan Wilson (2012). The Mets were one of four teams that Griffey, who had full no-trade rights as a result of reaching 10 years of Major League service time, including at least five straight with his current club, listed as destinations he would consider. All rights reserved. In the new MLB Network documentary "Junior," the Mariners legend. Griffey finished his career as a 13-time All-Star, one-time American League MVP and a 10-time Gold Glove winner. The day it worked for everybody was Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000. And that [beating the Yankees] was one of them.". [127], The Griffey family resides in Winter Garden, Florida, where Ken Griffey Sr. is also a resident. Powered and implemented byFactSet Digital Solutions. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a thirteen-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. It all stems from an experience Griffey Jr. had while visiting his father, Ken Griffey Sr., in the early 1980s. The MLB baseball landscape is filled with players no one believed had a legitimate shot. I said, Yeah, I dont think thats going to happen.. During the documentary, additional footage was shown of Griffey Jr. taking batting practice at Yankees Stadium during his playing days. Or is it where you became an all-time great yourself, creating unforgettable memories and lifting the fortunes of an entire Major League franchise? The 1995 AL Division Series would kick off a brief rivalry between the Yankees and Mariners. However, there was far more to it than anyone realized at the time. Griffey batted .524, but the USA failed to reach the semifinals. Griffey Jr. did get revenge on the Yankees during his career. Jef Pearlman: Ken Griffey Jr. was different kind of superstar Griffey would instead receive a buyout for $4million, split between the Reds and White Sox. Having just turned 30 years old three weeks earlier, Griffey was two home runs shy of 400 for his career, with a swing so aesthetically pleasing that its beauty is considered unmatched in baseball lore. Home Run Derby hero Ken Griffey Jr. is still the only player to ever Junior still has some homers left in him. A version of this story original ran in February 2022. He transcended the game in ways no one else had before him. When the Mariners defeated the Yankees in the 1995 American League Division Series, he hit .391 and blasted five home runs while scoring nine runs in five games. Deferred payments like the ones part of Griffey's deal are certainly nothing new when it comes to MLB franchises. Proves He Can Still Slam the Hell out of a Baseball, cutting payroll and taking on more rookies, frustrated fans raised funds to erect a billboard urging Castellini to sell the team. MLB parlay picks, best bets, predictions for June 30, Yankees vs. Cardinals odds, picks, computer sims, Padres vs. Reds odds, picks, computer sims, MLB unveils uniforms for 2023 All-Star Game, Coors Field hit with hail prior to game vs. Dodgers, MLB midseason grades: Braves dominate, 'F' for Mets, Dodgers' Mookie Betts joins 2023 Home Run Derby, 2023 MLB All-Star Game: Trout, Judge among starters, D-Backs' Carroll suffers right shoulder soreness, Blue Jays' Vlad Guerrero Jr. joins Home Run Derby, Pirates players call out MLB for playing through smoke. Now, the question was: Would Griffey accept a trade to the Mets? Ken Griffey Jr. takes batting practice in front of Team USA - MLB.com About a month after the conversation between the Mariners and Griffey took place, Bowden was ready to capitalize for Cincinnati. Unfortunately, the warm feelings lasted only so long before injuries marred much of Griffeys time in a Reds uniform. My dad's like, 'What? 24 flag in honor of Ken Griffey Jr., hoisted by Mariners teammate Jay Buhner", "Pick a Pair: Hall of Fame Class of 2016 makes draft history", "Family Ties: Griffey Jr.'s Son Drafted by Mariners on Day 3", "Griffey, Biggio, Glavine elected to HOF board of directors", "Ken Griffey Jr. is still trying to make baseball cool", "Baseball All-Star and Pilot Ken Griffey Jr. He also had some vintage performances from 2005-07, when he posted an .876 OPS and belted 92 homers. Look: Ken Griffey Jr. Contract News Is Going Viral Today In the fifth inning of the scoreless game, the Twins threatened with Michael Cuddyer on third and one out. The Mariners had some friendly talks with me about extending Junior. Apparently, the Hall of Famer, now in his 50s, still has not lost his touch. but did not play in the game because of tendinitis in his right knee.ranked ninth in the National League in both HR and RBI . [91] On August 12, 2009, against his former team, the Chicago White Sox, he hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the 14th inning to win the game, 10, for the Mariners.[92]. For years, Bobby Bonilla has been the gold standard for a retired MLB star cashing a paycheck thanks to some shrewd contract negotiations. Therefore, Simmons stated Griffey was the one player who would be the most devastating to "an entire generation of American men" should he ever be linked to steroids. Second baseman Ron Oester, outfielder Dave Parker, and first baseman Jake Beckley joined Griffey in the Class of 2014. [20] One week later in his first at-bat at the Kingdome, Griffey hit his first major league home run. When the deal didnt happen, yeah, I mightve gotten the hate initially, Bowden said. Ken Griffey Jr. - Society for American Baseball Research Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images Griffey said in the doc "Junior" that he refused to join the Yankees because he felt discriminated against. The month of February, both in 2000 and '09, demonstrated that the answer to those questions for Ken Griffey Jr. is: Yes. [1], Griffey signed lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo; his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute. The Mariners had just called up Alex Rodriguez and there was some disagreement back and forth in the front office about whether to bring him up or not. During the second game of the 2006 regular season, Griffey hit home run #537, surpassing Mickey Mantle for 12th on the all-time list. However, when TSN updated their list for a new book in 2005, despite having surpassed 400 and 500 home runs, Griffey remained at Number 93. No, the 52-year-old isn't coming out of retirement. Lets leave our confident Reds general manager for a moment and rewind a bit. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. This place will be [my] home. In fact, it's hardly rare for MLB players to get paid for years after their retirement, especially the stars. Watch: Ken Griffey Jr. Jim Bowden was sitting in the back of a limousine heading to the Anaheim Marriott Hotel on December 10, 1999. However, superstar Ken Griffey Jr. never had a desire to play for the Yankees -- even though his dad played for them. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. We just kept going back and forth, and then early in Spring Training I get the call that the owner wants me to move forward with the deal, Bowden said. Subscribe now to not miss a thing. [73], Despite being ranked second in the National League All-Star voting for outfielders for most of the first half of the season, Griffey finished fourth with 2,907,746 ballots, 87,000 votes behind Kosuke Fukudome. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. [58], On June 22, 2007, Griffey made his first return to Seattle after his trade to the Reds. 6-keys: media/spln/mlb/reg/free/stories, at He was caught off guard, Goldberg said. Now, with the likes of Winker and Suarez on the move, one of the Reds' highest-paid players in 2022 will be someone who hasn't played professional baseball in 12 years. Cincinnati Burger Week Returns July 10-16, 2023, Ken Griffey Jr. has the fourth-highest salary, Watch: Ken Griffey Jr. Ken Griffey Jr. before a game against the Yankees in 2009. According to CBS Sports, Griffey Jr. signed a nine-year, $112.5 million deal with Cincinnati shortly after he was acquired from Seattle in 2000. He'd begin earning that money in 2010 and continue receiving annual payouts until 2025. [120], As of 2021, Griffey is also working as a senior adviser to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. Hitting coach Ken Griffey Jr. during batting practice prior to the World Baseball Classic Championship game between Team USA and Team Japan at loanDepot Park on March 21, 2023 in Miami. [60][61] Griffey did not expect such a welcome or a turnout by fans when he came back, and a short but emotional speech was given by Griffey afterwards. Shortly after this injury, the Reds' team physician, Timothy Kremchek, devised an experimental surgery dubbed "The Junior Operation"[42] that would use three titanium screws to reattach Griffey's hamstring. Market data provided byFactset. [50] On September 25, 2006, Griffey hit his 27th home run of the season against Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Scott Eyre to tie Reggie Jackson for tenth on the all-time home run list. Reds legend Joey Votto is due to make $25 million this year, Wil Myers, a one-year outfielder the Reds signed for $6 million so the Castellinis could say they didsomethingthis offseason, is second. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM, Team USA looks on as hitting coach Ken Griffey Jr. takes batting practice during the Team USA workout prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal game between Team Puerto Rico and Team Mexico at loanDepot Park on Friday, March 17, 2023, in Miami, Florida. Griffey raced around the bases, slid into home with the winning run, and popped up into the waiting arms of the entire team. Armstrong met with Griffey and Goldberg during the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament in which Griffey was participating. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. While on holiday in the Bahamas with his family, he broke his wrist. For several weeks, Griffey's right leg was in a sling that kept it at a 90-degree angle, and he was not able to move the leg until late October. Shortly after Griffey picked up a baseball bat, every player on Team USA stood around the plate to catch a glimpse of the iconic swing. On September 14, 1990, they even hit back-to-back home runs, another Major League Baseball first. We loved watching you play this great game. And Mike Moustakas, who was released in January, had $22 million left on his deal. He was already a 10-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner in center field. or redistributed. How Ken Griffey Jr. saved a man's life - ESPN It was the day, as Bowden said while announcing the deal, that "the Michael Jordan of baseball" returned home. Ken Griffey Jr. deferred payments, explained: Why the Reds are still paying contract in 2023 | Sporting News OAK MIL 1 1 End 9 TEX TAM 8 4 Mid 9 HOU CLE 3 1 Bot 3, 0 Outs BOS NYY 4:35p -122. [11] He ended the season tied with Mickey Mantle, after having passed Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Willie McCovey, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, and Eddie Murray.
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